Getting around

Getting Around Malta: Airport, Tallinja Card & Comino

Malta's small enough that no single journey takes long, but three practicalities catch first-time visitors out: how central the airport actually is, how the public-transport card works, and why reaching Comino is nothing like reaching Gozo.

Updated 2026-08-16

Arriving at Malta International Airport

Malta International Airport sits at Luqa, close enough to the geographic centre of the main island that no destination on Malta itself is genuinely far from arrival — Valletta, Sliema and St Julian's are all a short taxi or bus ride away, and even Mdina or the south-coast towns are reachable within half an hour. There's no need to plan around a long transfer the way many island destinations require; the airport's central position is one of Malta's practical advantages, and it's the only airport serving the country, so every visitor arrives through the same gateway regardless of which part of the islands they're headed to.

The Tallinja Card

The Tallinja card is Malta's prepaid public-transport smart card, tapped on buses across the entire network instead of paying cash per journey — genuinely worth getting for a stay of more than a couple of days, since it's both cheaper per ride than cash fares and faster to board with, especially on the busy summer routes to beaches and the Gozo ferry terminal at Ċirkewwa. Cards can be bought and topped up at the airport, in Valletta, and at kiosks in the main towns, and the same card works across Malta and Gozo's bus networks.

Comino: No Scheduled Ferry, Only Private Boats

Reaching Gozo means a fixed-schedule car ferry with no booking required — reaching Comino is an entirely different arrangement. There's no public ferry timetable to the island; instead, private boat operators run from Ċirkewwa and Marfa on Malta's northern tip, departing roughly on demand through the day rather than to a published schedule, weather-dependent, and typically round-trip rather than open-ended. It catches visitors out who assume Comino works like Gozo simply because both appear close together on a map — treat it as its own separate booking, not an add-on stop. The same northern departure points serve boats out toward the Delimara coast's own swimming spots for visitors basing further south instead.

Frequently asked questions

A short taxi or bus ride — the airport sits at Luqa, close to the geographic centre of the main island, so no part of Malta is genuinely far from arrival. It's the country's only airport, so every visitor arrives through the same gateway.

Yes, for anything more than a couple of days — it's cheaper per ride than cash bus fares, faster to board with, and works across both Malta and Gozo's bus networks. Buy or top it up at the airport, in Valletta, or at kiosks in the main towns.

No — Comino has no scheduled public ferry. Private boat operators run from Ċirkewwa and Marfa on demand through the day, weather-dependent, typically as a round-trip rather than an open-ended crossing. Treat it as a separate booking, not an add-on stop the way the Gozo ferry works.

Part of the Malta guide.

This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.